November 9, 1995
12:00 AM (EST)

News Release Number: STScI-1995-46

Hubble Views the Galileo Probe Entry Site on Jupiter

November 9, 1995: This Hubble telescope image of Jupiter [left] was taken when the giant planet was 534 million miles (854 million kilometers) from Earth. The arrow points to the predicted site at which the Galileo probe will enter Jupiter's atmosphere on December 7, 1995. At this latitude, the eastward winds have speeds of about 250 mph (110 meters per second). The white oval to the north of the probe site drifts westward at 13 mph (6 meters per second), rolling in the winds, which increase sharply toward the equator.

The four enlarged Hubble images of Jupiter's equatorial region [right] show clouds sweeping across the predicted Galileo probe entry site, which is at the exact center of each frame. A tiny white dot marks the predicted entry site.